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Each summer, the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) invites secondary and post-secondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians to come together and update their knowledge and skills about advanced technological education. Now in its eighth year, conference attendees have the option to choose from twenty pre-conference workshops and industry site tours during the first two days, followed by the two-day main conference featuring keynote speakers, 60+ breakout sessions, and an exhibit hall.

This year’s conference will be held July 25-28 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. Here is a closer look at the upcoming keynote presentations.

Jerry Volcy and the SpelBots

The first of this year’s keynote presentations, which will take place on Wednesday, July 27^th at 8:30am, comes from Spelman College, a four-year women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia with a long list of notable alumnae. One of the oldest and consistently ranked as one of the top Historically Black Colleges in the nation, Spelman is no stranger to making history. The College’s student robotics team, the SpelBots, was founded in 2004 and made history just a year later by becoming the first all-female, all African-American undergraduate team to compete in the International RoboCup four-legged robot soccer competition. They went on to tie for first place in the 2009 RoboCup competition and were invited to the exclusive Education Technology Showcase in Washington D.C. to present their work to the director of the National Science Foundation and U.S. Senators. This is sure to be an impressive and inspiring presentation from a very accomplished group of students and their faculty leader, Jerry Volcy. More information about the SpelBots can be found here.

Becky Wai-Ling Packard

This year’s second keynote speaker is Becky Wai-Ling Packard, an accomplished author, researcher, and professor at Mount Holyoke, a renowned women’s college with a long history of innovation. She is the winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to young scientists in the country. She brings a philosophy of persistent mentoring to the field, fostering diversity and long-term success for students. She has authored works for STEM educators on how to advise underrepresented students, such as nontraditional-aged, first-generation, and low-income students through every aspect of their educational experience. She has also authored many publications exploring the transfer process between two- and four-year colleges. This presentation will highlight the importance of mentoring in work and educational spaces and will offer practical applications. Click here for more information on Dr. Packard and join us at her presentation on Thursday, July 28^th at 12:30pm.

After the conference, be sure to check out the e-book containing videos, handouts, and related resources from many of the workshops and presentations, representing the best materials as reported by conference attendees.  The proceedings e-book from the 2015 conference is available online here.